Garoppolo did not wear a knee brace growing up in the Chicago suburbs or at Eastern Illinois, and after ditching it early in his 2014 rookie year with the Patriots, he’s willing to try the upgraded models because, “these new ones are titanium and so light weight, it’s like you’re not wearing anything sometimes.”

The toughest part of his recovery was “the acceptance of everything” from a mental aspect, initially, and then how he couldn’t put weight on his leg the first month or two. “After that, you get running and everything, and you start feeling like yourself again,” said Garoppolo.

“It’s been a very productive offseason, whether it was in the film room or out on the field, you try new things, different drops, how your movement is.”

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo smiles while speaking to the media at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)

Garoppolo has enjoyed having company in the ACL-recovery ward. Running back Jerick McKinnon tore his ACL a week before the season opener — three weeks before Garoppolo’s injury — and McKinnon couldn’t recall a specific incident over the past few months in which Garoppolo struggled or needed his encouragement.

“It’s been pretty smooth sailing, for the most part,” McKinnon said. “It’s been encouraging watching him work. His work ethic is amazing…. That’s my guy. I love him to death and it’s going to be a great year. I’m excited to be back and I know he is.”

The light at the end of their rehabilitation tunnel is the Sept. 8 season opener.

“It’s exciting to see that first opponent,” Garoppolo said. “It’s difficult to look past training camp and preseason, obviously, but it’s always in the back of your head.”

Helping fill Garoppolo’s head with football knowledge late last season was coach Kyle Shanahan’s father, Mike, who won two Super Bowls as the Denver Broncos coach and one as the 1994 49ers offensive coordinator.

“Seeing the game from his point of view is different. He was looking at it differently from a quarterback. It’s hard to describe, but it’s going to help me a lot going forward,” Garoppolo said. “We watched our offense, our defense, other teams, teams that played three years ago where he though a clip could help me. He’s so smart it was incredible to have the experience and I thank him a lot for that.”

— Neither left tackle Joe Staley nor defensive tackle DeForest Buckner expressed dissatisfaction with their contract status. Staley, a 13th-year veteran, acknowledged he’s on the final year of his latest deal and is “not worried about that.”

Buckner became eligible for a contract extension after his third season in the league produced 12 sacks and a Pro Bowl. “It’s still very early in the process,” Buckner said. “I’m really just looking forward to being with the team long term, and I know Jed and John and Paraag and Kyle all know that, and they know what I bring to the table. There’s no rush to it.”

— Buckner is excited at the prospect of lining up next to new edge rusher Dee Ford. “To have him screaming off the edge, I’ll be licking my chops,” Buckner said of Ford, whom he’s yet to meet in the offseason program because he said Ford is away from the team as an expectant father.

Staley, by the way, said 49ers brass reached out to him for a scouting report on Ford from last September’s encounter, and Staley confirmed to them that Ford may have the NFL’s best first step as a pass rusher.

— Tight end George Kittle played through fractured rib cartilage the last two months of the season and wore rib protectors en route to the NFL record for single-season receiving yards by a tight end. He sustained the injury three plays into a Nov. 1 win over the Raiders. “It was fun. I don’t know, just something you play with,” Kittle said.